Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-08-05


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oRHTyvIs FERN LAND.
nov L Aay 81 Obtaised Mont 1sch Eaort. !.
4 From thu Now OK q srsiibuns.
All great. distance Is ln markets, SIC .
1 sequestered lregii ons, removed from
avery social. religion ID aud ednc on
] q PRIV ileae, may still be found free,
fertile lands IS good quail SO rap.
1 "a is the march Of progress that many
lofthese in q short time will Be ii easy
reach 81 new railro ads. But as one
cannot forses with certainly tho course!
OF such impr oYements It is best not
! 70 risk stoo much ii expect 81 FL.
lture conveniences. Four Immediate
avenues Tor d obtaining desirable lands
i remain to the emigr ant. i. Therail-
roads yet possess a vast body Of first
class territory, which IS offered for
sale OF low prices and long time. 81
Countless IA rter-sections are held
by men who acqn ireds them md er pre-
Ielnption or tree.culture rights, for,
/ specula pllrpo ses merchant
4 clerks, railway ennpl oyes, carpen-s
tiers and all classes B. at city
treside tents. The Increasing vigilance
i OF the authorities and the
growing difficulty Of tsproying up such
claims have caused general al arm
Iarnong the myriad holders who have
not yet attempted to acquire "a pat
emit and who become daily more dis.
posed to sell out their improvements
Tor whatever they can get. Cases are
| by no means rare where such pre-enp.
tors have lately relinauished first:
class quart ctions within ten miles
}.of railway stations, for a considera,
Ition from $25 to $50, transferring
their rights to the new conner. AS
| there are all through the northwest
great quantities Of land still held on
this uncertain tenure, which the in
designations of government render
daily more hazardous, there will be
abundant opportunities to pick them
| up. A bonafide settler, succeed
ing to such property, would, Of
proof and obtaining title. The front,
Ter also abounds 1 in rest
less characters who after q few
years in a place are eager TO move on,
and who having obtained a deed for q
tquarte section will sell out below the
market price Of railroad land. Still
fano ther class, merchants deluded into
| the belief that a ,'ranche" can be
made q valuable business adjunct and
who have taken up and attempted to
run one, may be found in numbers
disguised and ready to sell out low.
Yet another class is common enough
the discontentedE and homesick;
lacking in courage, incapable of good
management or for varied reasons
finding frontier life a failure, will sell
improved farms below cost. II one
has money this is the best way to ac-
quire a favorable position and imme.
date income. In short, the North.
west is still in many places. covering
Thousand OF miles OF fine. country, ii
a state OF chaos, where men are: COM
| ing and going, restless and uneasy,
and wherein a visitor with money
who will take time to search and act
promptly when he finds what he
wants, will have no trouble in strik-
ing good bargain. 8. If one has no
money to invest as above, but must
! of necessity acquire land gratis and is
bent on being near the railway, his,
only course is to Jump deserted or
| spurious claims Il sg.. z.&t4
I The term jump has fallen into dis
repntei in the East, as implying viola-
ton Of another's rights. In the West
lit is used in two senses. It has this
sinister and unpopular significance,
and has also merely technical sense
which imputes no discredit.: When a.
newcomer fndsa claim whose original
occupant has disappeared, and on
which the improvements required by
law nave been omitted, or a claim
held dy a nonresident for speculation
only on such fimsy pretexts Of inn
provement as would work forfeiture if
brought to test, he can flea contest
! and by proving such vacancy or
illegal holding become possessor Of the
land. This also is called s.jumping,
bnt is regarded justifable, and an act
ual settler thus displacing an alien
holder is welcomed and APP
proved. Such opportunities abound
on the IF borders, but & are
hard Tor o stranger to find unless
he makes "a systematic; study OF his
selected locality. Everywhere are
great bodies of apparently vacant
land, and one inqniringis told that
such and such q quarter is held as q
presumption by an honest clerk in
town who visits it regularly and IS
making improvements enough to hold
it rightfully. The next was taken up
under soldiers scrip and is decided.
The next is a tree culture, and SO on.
| All appears to be invincibly possessed.
But il one will look over Che region
carefully, search out such quarters as
appear most neglected and are pre-
ferable for his purposes, and then Wis
it every settler within FIVE miles and
make inquiry. he would sol find out
/ the real facts and may learn that one
of these claims is held Illegally and
could be properly contested. His
original informant may have tried
to mislead through desire to pct
the property himself or, with intent
to hide It for the benefit of some rel:
alive, or from personal dislike to the
applicant. othing but as thorough
hunt will Eunearth these opportunities.
IN time all the body 81 land now
seemingly taken mp which the stran-s
ger hurries past will be TINS examined
and tested, and many q hidden guar.
ter Of roy Fertility pass into posses
sion ofspainsta klng men,. Let no sone,s
however, suppose that this process Of
gaining Land can be easily abused.
/ Contest should be attempted only
where It is clearly Unsuitable, or the.
jumper will find the neigh borhood